Ten Months On

Chapter 23: Dreams

A/N: Thank you for the votes and follow!

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Sun Rui had been having dreams for a while now. Of a woman who calls out to him.

He had such dreams when he was young but they had went away over time.

Ascribing his dreams to mere childhood fantasies, Sun Rui went on to indulge and enjoy his life as a pampered prince.

But recently, after marrying Su Li, the dreams came back.

And this time, they were back as nightmares.

***

The dreams all start the same way. A woman calls him with love. Her melodious voice ringing in his ears, his heart filled with a huge, deep yearning for the woman.

Her every move familiar to him, her smile familiar to him. He knows this woman and he loved her. Emotions so strong that what he thought he felt for Su Li was nothing in comparison for what he felt for the woman.

He felt... Love. Love so strong that if the woman had left him, he would be devastated. A love so strong that he was willing to quit all other women and love this one woman in his life.

But before the dream could reveal her face, the dream ends.

At first, he thought nothing of it. It was just a dream. His life was going the best way it could possibly can. He was minted the new Crown Prince. His official wife was his beloved Su Li. Though his Mother did not call upon him as much to visit her, he did not think it was a bad thing. It was just a matter of time before she accepts his new Wang Fei.

Really, he had not much complaints. He no longer needed to see that mousy, scheming small woman in his home. His residence was doing well under his new Wang Fei's governance. And he still fooled around with women whenever he wanted. In fact, Su Li was understanding and had even tried to offer her dowry maids to him. Really, she was the epitome of virtue to him.

But oh, the nightmares plague him. There were nights where he woke up sweating and panting as if someone had torn a piece of his heart from him. There were nights where he woke up in an unfamiliar room to him, trying to hug a figure that was not even there.

And the dreams. They had warped. Now, the dreams showed the unfamiliar familiar woman in different settings. When she was laughing. When she was busy and tireless yet her persevering attitude had lit a fire in him. When she pouted at his teasing. When she cheekily smiled after a prank. All the sides to a woman he knew but does not know.

Once, he woke up to a wet dream. So vivid that he had ended up spilling his seed all over his robe, his voice dry as if he had been calling out her name in passion through the night.

And he noticed the teary-eyed Su Li at his side, clutching the blanket and biting her lower lip aggrievedly, a look that would have immediately make him lower himself to caress and comfort her, but now made his sense of alienation stronger.

"Wangye, chenqie knows.. Knows that chenqie can't measure up to sister... But to call a dead person's name in your sleep is really...." Su Li started heaving heavy sobs.

Her words struck Sun Rui like lightning.

And then his life did a turnabout.